Perilous Paths

Perilous Paths: The Story of Robert McClellan: Indian Fighter, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, and member of the John J. Astor Fur Company

In Perilous Paths, author George G. McClellan seamlessly combines history, biography, and story as he narrates the early history of our country’s movement from the east to the west through the eyes of Robert McClellan as he experiences successes and failures along the way.

This story focuses on one small but important piece of the history after the Revolutionary War. It tells of real, rugged men like McClellan — a son of Ulster Scots immigrants born near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1770 — who performed tasks in harsh conditions that would be considered dangerous, even foolhardy, today. Perilous Paths follows the footsteps made by McClellan from his youthful days as an army packer to his exploits as an Indian scout, army ranger, and spy. It details how he fought alongside Lewis and Clark, gained an education in reading and arithmetic for the army quartermaster corps, and then moved west to Missouri and succumbed to the lure of the unknown, entering Indian country where he trapped furs and traded with the Indians of what would eventually become the American Midwest.

ISBN – 978-1-4759-2531-9
80 Pages
Softback
5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″

iUniverse, Inc., 2012

Pete the Prairie Dog, Stuffed Animal

Prairie dogs, once one of the most abundant animals in the West, could be found in Canada, the Northern Great Plains and Great Basin south through the United States down into Mexico. They were often mentioned in the journals of early explorers, trappers, emigrants, and settlers. They were frequently referred to as little parking dogs and were studied in 1804 during the Lewis & Clark expedition. There are a total of five species of prairie dogs. The black-tailed prairie dog is one of the prominent ones.

Pete the Prairie Dog is an example of a black-tailed prairie dog. He measures 8 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/4 inches at the widest part.

Pierre’s Hole!

Pierre’s Hole! The History of a Fur Trade Landmark

The story of the fur trade in Teton Valley as it has never been told before.

In the early 1800s, a thriving trade in furs destined for the international hat market brought trappers and increasing numbers of Indians into Idaho’s Teton Basin, just across the Teton Range from Jackson’s Hole. This commerce created a favorite rendezvous location and a thoroughfare for both populations.

One of the most active centers of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, the Teton Basin provided the stage for many dynamic personalities and dramatic events of the era. A close look at Pierre’s Hole connects the reader to the entire sweep of fur trade history in the American West, from Fort Astoria on the Pacific Coast to the trading houses of St. Louis, Missouri.

Told through eyewitness accounts of men like Jim Bridger, Joe Meek, Nathaniel Wyeth and others, this Teton Valley history places the reader on the ground as the action unfolds. Drawing from trapper journals – the earliest records of the region – historian Jim Hardee fills in the pre-settlement gaps of the narrative: a period when Teton Valley was known as Pierre’s Hole, Snake River was Lewis Fork and the Tetons were the Pilot Knobs.

Jim Hardee is the editor of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal, published by the Sublette County Historical Society and the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming. He is the director of the Fur Trade Research Center and is a presenter for many conferences and symposiums. He has published numerous articles on various fur trade topics, and lives in Pierre’s Hole, Idaho.

Table of Contents:

1. The Mountains
2. The Shoshone: First People in the Valley
3. The ‘Hole’ Story
4. Pierre Tevanitagon
5. John Colter and Pierre’s Hole: 1807-1808
6. Andrew Henry and the St Louis Missouri Fur Company: 1809-1810
7. Wilson Price Hunt and the Pacific Fur Company: 1811
8. Robert Stuart: 1812
9. The Snake Country Expeditions: 1816-1831
10. The Henry-Ashley and Ashley-Smith Companies: 1822-1826
11. The Smith, Jackson and Sublette Fur Company and the 1829 Rendezvous
12. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company: 1830-1832
13. Rendezvous 1832
14. The Battle of Pierre’s Hole
15. Locating the Battle Site
16. After the Battle of Pierre’s Hole
17. The Waning Years of the Fur Trade: 1833-1840
18. Epilogue

ISBN – 978-0-9973143-8-0
401 Pages
Softback
6″ x 9″

Sublette County Historical Society, 2022

Pinedale, Wyoming: A Centennial History, 1904-2004

Published by Museum of the Mountain Man – 2005

Hardback with dust cover, 442 pages, 570 pictures, 11 x 8-1/2 inches, weight 5 lbs

Limited Edition – 2000 Copies

ISBN: 0-9768113-0-8

The Museum of the Mountain Man and historian Ann Noble proudly announce the publication of, “Pinedale, Wyoming: A Centennial History, 1904 – 2004.” A full-color, limited edition of just 2,000 copies, the book is full of photos and detailed information about how Pinedale was founded, grew and thrived – not just as a town, but as a community.

Local historian, Ann Noble, has spent the past three years researching Pinedale history for the book, which is sponsored by the Sublette County Historical Society/Museum of the Mountain Man. The book is 442 pages, done in full color. There are 570 graphics and photographs of people and places all through Pinedale history, many from private collections never before made public.

Noble used many sources for her book research. The spent countless hours reading through the early editions of the Pinedale Roundup newspaper rom 1904 to present. She had many in-depth personal conversations with long-time Pinedale Residents, as well as utilized the oral history collections and resources of the Sublette County Historical Society. She also obtained a lot of material from the records of the early Town of Pinedale Council meeting minutes. In addition, Noble obtained information from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming Archives, the Wyoming State Archives in Cheyenne, the Sublette Examiner newspaper and many extensive interviews.

Here are excerpts from the table of contents of the new Pinedale book:

Chapters on each decade from 1904-2004.
Early Pinedale founding.
Prominent Pinedale residents and contributions.
Hundreds of photographs of people and places all through Pinedale history, many from private collections never before made public. Reprints of early Pinedale Roundup newspaper articles and advertisements. 570 photographs and graphics! Many in color!
History behind many local place and street names.
Wagon Wheel Project.
Pinedale school history.
Early history of White Pine ski hill.
War Times and Pinedale citizens who went to war.
Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Fremont at Fremont Lake.
Camp Fire Girls.
Churches.
Preschools.

Layout and design for the book was done by Sue Sommers, of WRWS Design. Sommers has worked with the Museum of the Mountain Man on two other books, “The Fur Trade & Rendezvous of the Green River Valley”, and “Memories of Kendall Valley” by Richard Hecox.

Pioneer Women

Pioneer Women – The Lives of Women on the Frontier

Pioneer Women provides a rare look at frontier life through the eyes of the pioneer women who settled the American West. Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith vividly describe the hardships such women endured journeying west and making homes and communities on the frontier. Their hopes and fears and, most of all, their courage in the face of adversity are revealed in excerpts from journals, letters, and oral histories. Illustrated with a fascinating collection of seldom-seen photographs, Pioneer Women reveals the faces as well as the voices of women who lived on the frontier.

ISBN: 978-0-8061-3054-5
144 Pages
Softback
8 1/2″ x 11″

University of Oklahoma Press, 1996

Plains Indian and Mountain Man Arts and Crafts II: An Illustrated Guide

This handbook is an exciting encore to Charles Overstreet’s first highly successful “how-to” book. It explores the arts and crafts of the early Plains and Mountain Indians of North America by providing instructions for replicating some of their more interesting crafts as well as historical information on each one.

Employing traditional and modern methods, this complete how-to manual features 40 projects ranging from a Blackfoot Fish Trap to a Wind River Shoshone Wolf Hat. Using this guides easy to follow instructions and illustrations, re-creation of these historical items becomes a simple task. The hobbyist is provided with a carefully selected variety of items that can be made with very little out of pocket expense. The author has thoroughly researched each project and has consulted with members of various Indian tribes to assure the authenticity of each item.

ISBN – 0-943604-51-6

109 Pages

Eagle’s View Publishing, 1996

Plains Indian Hand Talk

Plains Indian Hand Talk: Signs in the Most General Use

This book is intended for Western American history aficionados, those who wish to keep connections to the past alive, and all who are fascinated by the elegant language. This handy reference and learning guide includes:

Over 450 signs with descriptions and hand positions shown.
11 full page illustrations.
Index and Learning Guides developed by Gene Hickman.

ISBN: 978-0-578-87237-7
134 Pages
Softback
5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″

A Haversack Book, 2018

Plains Indians

Plains Indians – Regalia and Customs – 2nd Edition

This original study of Plains Indian cultures of the 19th century is presented through the use of period writings, paintings, and early photography that relate how life was carried out. The author juxtaposes the sources with new research and modern color photography of specific replica items. The comprehensive text documents many of the major tribes, such as Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crow, Hidatsa, Mandan, Lakota, and others. Observations of Plains Indian men’s and women’s experiences include procuring food, dancing, developing spiritual beliefs, and day-to-day living. This second edition contains new color photos and text, adding to the richness and depth of detail in the well-received original. Through original photos and re-creations, rare primary sources, and updated content, Bad Hand provides an invaluable resource not only on Plains Indians, but on bringing past peoples to full, colorful life.

ISBN – 978-0-7643-5761-9
272 Pages
Hardback
8 3/4″ x 11 1/4″

Schiffer Publishing, 2019

Plains Indians – CB

Plains Indians – Coloring Book

Sioux…Crow…Blackfoot…Pawnee…Apache…Cheyenne… Not the feathered-bonneted, gun-toting, horseback riding stereotype of Hollywood movie fame or Old West legend, but the real Plains Indians of North America portrayed honestly in the clothing they actually wore…in realistic settings…performing everyday tasks. The Richness and diversity of the costume and lifestyles of the Plains Indians are rarely presented with so much integrity.

Here in 40 carefully researched, accurately and delicately rendered line drawings are the Indians of the Great Plains. Full captions identify the tribe and the period, which ranges from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth century, and describe the way of life of the Indian peoples, as well as the changes over time in their customs and traditions. Of particular note is the impact of the white man’s culture.

ISBN: 978-0-486-24470-9
48 Pages
Softback
8 1/4″ x 10 7/8″

Dover Publications, 1983

Plenty-Coups

Plenty-coups – Chief of the Crows

In his old age, Plenty-coups (1848-1932), the last hereditary chief of the Crow Indians, told the moving story of his life to Frank B. Linderman, the well-known western writer who had befriended him. Plenty-Coups is a classic account of the nomadic, spiritual, and warring life of Plains Indians before they were forced into reservations. Plenty-coups tells of the great triumphs and struggles of his own life: his powerful medicine dreams, marriage, raiding and counting coups against the Lakotas, fighting alongside the U.S. Army, and the death of General Custer.

ISBN: 978-0-8032-8018-2
194 Pages
Softback
5 1/4″ x 8″

University of Nebraska Press, 1930

Provisions of the Fur Trade

The Encyclopedia of Trade Goods – Volume 6, Provisions of the Fur Trade

Provisions of the Fur Trade is nearly 500 pages long with over 600 illustrations, most in color. Subjects covered include fur trade rations, feasts, and famines; bread and biscuits, grain including wild rice; fruits; sugars including maple; condiments, soaps, spices, fur trade gardening and husbandry, the Indian trade in meat, corn and other foods; fish; preservation of foods, including pemmican, canning drying etc. Other major chapters are devoted to the trade in liquor, beer, and wine; tobacco and beverages such as tea, chocolate and coffee. The text and illustrations also deal with government rations intended to divert the Indians from their old lifestyles and into subsidized reservation existences. The entire North American Continent is covered from the earliest voyages to the end of the fur trade. – Museum of the Fur Trade

ISBN – 978-0-912611-23-5
458 Pages
Hardback
11 1/4″ x 11 1/4″

Museum of the Fur Trade, 2017

Raccoon 8″ Stuffed Animal

The raccoon is nocturnal and forages for fruits, nuts, fish and rodents. Raccoons gorge themselves in the spring and summer to store up body fat. Much of the winter is spent asleep.

Range Riders Cookin’

We all enjoy good DOWN HOME cookin’ and Range Riders Cookin’ features a special and unique collection of mouthwaterin recipes providing you with enjoyable moments of fun and ease in preparing and feasting on a wide variety of delicious dishes! From the old-time favorites Grandma whipped up to the exquisite dishes prepared by today’s top professional chefs, Range Riders Cookin’ is a pleasurable experience in cooking.

You will also treasure the breathtaking western artwork featured throughout this publication by nationally recognized artist Robert E. Kerby. Kerby captures in painstaking detail the true spirit of the American West.

ISBN – 978-0-9660523-0-5
138 Pages
Bounded Softback
8 1/2″ x 6″

Bob Kerby’s Longhorn Studio, 1989

Recreating The American Longrifle

The American muzzle-loading rifle, when regarded simply as a shooting device or gun, became obsolete at the close of the Civil War more than 130 years ago. Today, however, tens of thousands of people are interested in these rifles. They study them, read about them, collect them, shoot them, go hunting with them, and they make them.

This book will help with the steps of building a rifle.

ISBN: 1-929572-31-X
168 Pages
Softback
8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″

George Shumway Publisher, 1970

Rendezvous Reader

A Rendezvous Reader – Tall, Tangled, and True Tales of the Mountain Man 1805 – 1850

The accounts of the mountain men are spun form the experiences of a nation moving westward: a trapper returns from the dead; hunters feast on buffalo intestines served on a dirty blanket; a missionary woman is astounded by the violence and vulgarity of the trappers’ rendezvous. These are just a few of the narratives, tall tales, and lies that make up A Rendezvous Reader.

The writers represented in this book include dyed-in-the-wool trappers, adventuring European nobles, upward-gazing Eastern missionaries, and just plain hacks who never unsheathed a Green River knife or traveled farther west than the Ohio River. What these writers have in common is that all helped create a uniquely American icon–the mountain man.

ISBN: 978-0-87480-539-0
348 Pages
Softback
6″ x 9″

The University of Utah Press, 1997

Reshaw

Reshaw – The Life and Times of John Baptiste Richard

John Baptiste Richard, known by the French pronunciation of his last name- Reshaw– , was an opportunist. The early America West was changing fast, and Richard jumped on opportunities before most men even realized they existed.

He was a fearless adrenaline junkie, always on the edge of danger in his many personifications: frontiersman, trapper, Indian trader, whiskey smuggler, toll bridge builder and operator, rancher, Colorado gold rush merchant, military interpreter and scout, reliable friend, ruthless barterer. Though considered a scoundrel by some, he lived by his own code of ethics and helped shape the early West.

ISBN: 978-1-937147-04-4
287 Pages
Softback
6″ x 9″

High Plains Press, 2014